Launching device for lifeboats



Feb. 17, 1942. c. w. HARRIS LAUNCHING DEVICE FOR LIFEBOA'I'S Filed Dec. .11, 1939 0 o o o o 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR. C grus WHa rris M 3.3:... A TTORNE Y Feb. 17, 1942. c, w, HARRIS 2,273,318

LAUNCHING DEVICE FOR LIFEBOATS Filed Dec. 11, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 LVVENTOR' C grus W Harris A TTORNEY Feb. 17, 1942. c. w. HARRIS 2,273,318

LAUNCHING DEVICE FOR LIFEBOATS Filed Dec. 11, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 'l/IIII/l/II/II/I/A I la 19 17 INVENTOR.

- 0 Cyrus "(Harris A TTORNEY Patented Feb. 17, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAUNCHING DEVICE FOR, LIFEBOATS Cyrus W. Harris, Sacramento, Calif., assignor of one-half to Dante C. Pedrini, Stockton, Calif. I Application December 11, 1939, Serial No. 308,637

Claims.

This invention relates to a lifeboat mounting and launching assembly or arrangement for large vessels, my principal object being to provide an assembly for the purpose so arranged and constructed that all the boats may be successively launched from either side of the vessel, in a very rapid and easy manner.

By reason of this arrangement, all the lifeboats on the vessel may be utilized, if necessary, regardless of any list of the vessel, which ordinarily renders the lifeboats on one side useless.

A further object is to provide means, "operable by the occupants of a lifeboat, for positively releasing the boat from any connection with the falls and davits, in the event that the necessary release cannot for some reason be effected from the vessel as is normally intended.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is an elevational view, taken transversely of a vessel, showing my improved lifeboat mounting and launching arrangement thereon.

Figure 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic side outline of a lifeboat of the type preferably used with my invention.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of one end of a lifeboat showing the releasable mounting means for the track engaging roller.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section showing the roller as being shifted to a release position.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a releasable hold-down device.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, each lifeboat I is preferably of enclosed cylindrical form, provided adjacent and beyond each end with a flanged roller 2 turnable on a spindle 3. This spindle is releasably supported from the interior of th boat in the manner which will be seen later.

The rollers at both ends of the boat normally ride on tracks 4 of rail form which extend from side to side of the vessel 5 and are supported a necessary distance above the deck by a suitable trestle frame arrangement 6.

The width of the lifeboats relative to the beam of the vessel is such that a n b r of e boats may be maintained side by side on each pair of tracks as shown in Fig. 1; the boats being norbetween certain ones of the boats to leave passageways along the deck.

Davits 1 of the conventional Howe type are mounted at the ends of the tracks on the vessel, in position to engage for the hooks 8 on the ends of their ropes 9 to engage eye straps l0 supported and upstanding from spindles 3 between the rollers and the ends of the lifeboat. These hooks are of the quick release type as shown, each being intended to be released from the vessel even after the lifeboat is launched, by a release rope H connected to the releasing element I2 of the hook.

B reason of the above arrangement, it will be seen that the lifeboats may be successively moved. along the tracks to either set of davits, or both sets of davits may be used simultaneously with different boats. It will also be seen that while any lifeboat is over the side and is being lowered, the adjacent lifeboat on the tracks may be moved into position, as shown in Fig. 1, for engagement by the davits when the latter are again raised, and thus speeding up the launching operations.

In order to prevent the rollers possibly jumping the rails when the vessel is in a heavy sea, I provide a releasable hold-down device for each end of the device, which may be in addition to the usual securing ropes, but which does not prevent movement of the lifeboats along the tracks when necessary Each hold-down device comprises a frame l3 depending from the hub l4 of the adjacent roller outwardly of the same, and provided with quick releas jaws l5 adapted to engage over the hub from below as shown, and to spread apart as indicated, to permit of upward movement of the roller from the track when the lifeboat is hooked onto the davits. At the bottom, the frame I3 is provided with a central roller l6 which rides on the top flange of a deck-mounted channel-rail l1 parallel to rail 4, while other rollers l8 spaced from roller I6 ride on the under side of said rail flange. The rollers l8 are preferably supported by a spring arm I!) secured on the frame, and which urges the rollers l8 against the flange and thus eliminates any possible play between the opposed rollers as well as tending to retard too free movement of the lifeboat along the tracks.

In the event that the hook 8' for some reason cannot be released from the vessel after the life- .boat is launched, I provide for the release of the roller spindle 3 (on which the hook strap I0 is immovably mounted) from within the enclosed m l disposed so tha suffic e t pa remains lifeboat, in th following manner: The spindle slidably projects through and is normally supported by a bearing member 20 mounted on the end of the lifeboat, the inner end of the spindle being normally clamped against movement by a clamping block 2| of conventional form mounted on a platform 22 on the interior of the lifeboat and operable by an occupant thereof.

A pusher-plunger 23, alined with and the same diameter as spindle 3, is disposed immediately beyond the same, and is slidably mounted in a sleeve 24 supported by platform 22. The plunger may be moved longitudinally by a lifeboat occupant when necessary, by suitable means such as a pinion 25 mounted on the sleeve and engaging a rack 26 on the plunger. The pinion is rotated in a direction to advance the plunger against the spindle by suitable means such as a crank handle 21 having direct or ratchet connections 28 with the pinion from outside the sleeve.

By this means, when it is necessary to unship the spindle to which the launching hook remains attached, the clamping block 2! is first released, and crank handle 21 operated to advance the spindle and push the same clear of the bearing 29. The plunger then occupies and fills the bearing as shown in Fig. 4, preventing leakage into the lifeboat through the opening otherwise left.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a water-borne vessel, a lifeboat, rollers on the lifeboat at its ends, said rollers having hubs, tracks mounted on the vessel in elevated relationship to the deck thereof and supporting the rollers, another track fixed adjacent deck level extending parallel to and substantially alined vertically with one of said first named tracks, an upstanding frame mounted on said other track for movement along the same and held thereon against relative vertical movement, and releasable members on the frame normally engaging about the hub of one of the rollers from below the same.

2. In a life boat, a member for engagement with a lifting hook, a substantially horizontal spindle from which said member is supported, a bearing element on the boat slidably and disengageably supporting the spindle, a plunger alined with and beyond the spindle, means slidably supporting the plunger and means applied to the plunger to advance the same; the diameter of the plunger at its spindle engaging end being the same as that of the spindle, whereby when the spindle is pushed from the bearing by the plunger, the adjacent end of the latter will fit the bearing and prevent leakage of water therethrough.

3. A structure as in claim 2, in which there is a horizontal open space between the bearing and the plunger supporting means and the spindle normally projects across said space; and a clamping device mounted in the boat and projecting into said space and to releasably and alternately engage the adjacent portions of the spindle and plunger.

4. In a water borne vessel, a lifeboat, rollers on the boat at its ends, hubs projecting outwardly from the rollers, tracks mounted on the vessel above deck level on which the rollers ride, other tracks fixed adjacent deck level extending parallel to and substantially vertically alined with the first named tracks, vertical frames separate from and depending from the hubs in cradling relation therewith, quick-release jaws on the frames engaging over the hubs from below, and means mounting the frames on said other track for movement along the same and against vertical movement relative thereto.

5. A structure as in claim 4, in which said other track is formed with a horizontally overhanging portion and said frame mounting means comprising vertically yieldable spring arms projecting lengthwise of said track in both directions from the lower end of each frame, and rollers on said arms engaging under said overhanging track portion.

CYRUS W. HARRIS. 

